curiosities

The Origins Of The 30,000-Year-Old ‘Venus Of Willendorf’ Statue Have Been Traced To Italy

Scientists used scans to determine that the Venus of Willendorf's limestone is "virtually indistinguishable" from limestone found in Italy.

By Kaleena Fraga • Apr 4, 2022

News

The Origins Of The 30,000-Year-Old ‘Venus Of Willendorf’ Statue Have Been Traced To Italy

Scientists used scans to determine that the Venus of Willendorf's limestone is "virtually indistinguishable" from limestone found in Italy.

By Kaleena Fraga • April 4, 2022

The Incredible Story Of Rosie The Shark, The Preserved Great White Found In An Abandoned Wildlife Park

Rosie the Shark was caught in a family's tuna-fishing net in 1997 before being preserved in a formaldehyde tank and eventually abandoned. But now, she's finally being restored to her former glory.

By Marco Margaritoff • Mar 30, 2022

The Incredible Story Of Rosie The Shark, The Preserved Great White Found In An Abandoned Wildlife Park

Rosie the Shark was caught in a family's tuna-fishing net in 1997 before being preserved in a formaldehyde tank and eventually abandoned. But now, she's finally being restored to her former glory.

By Marco Margaritoff • March 30, 2022

Meet The Real Persian Royals Behind The Viral ‘Princess Qajar’ Memes

The legendary "Princess Qajar” is actually a conflation of two 19th-century Persian royals — Fatemeh Khanum "Esmat al-Dowleh" and Zahra Khanum "Taj al-Saltaneh.”

By Kaleena Fraga • Mar 30, 2022

Meet The Real Persian Royals Behind The Viral ‘Princess Qajar’ Memes

The legendary "Princess Qajar” is actually a conflation of two 19th-century Persian royals — Fatemeh Khanum "Esmat al-Dowleh" and Zahra Khanum "Taj al-Saltaneh.”

By Kaleena Fraga • March 30, 2022

The Shocking History Of Aqua Tofana, The 17th-Century ‘Blemish Serum’ That Killed Hundreds Of Unwanted Husbands

In the 1600s, many Italian housewives had no hope of escaping bad marriages. So hundreds of them turned to poison to kill their husbands — and collect their inheritance.

By Kaleena Fraga • Mar 28, 2022

The Shocking History Of Aqua Tofana, The 17th-Century ‘Blemish Serum’ That Killed Hundreds Of Unwanted Husbands

In the 1600s, many Italian housewives had no hope of escaping bad marriages. So hundreds of them turned to poison to kill their husbands — and collect their inheritance.

By Kaleena Fraga • March 28, 2022

Who Was Sarah Winchester? The Story Of The Troubled Woman Behind The Winchester Mystery House

After her husband died, firearms heiress Sarah Winchester built a "mystery house" — allegedly to escape the ghosts of people killed by Winchester rifles.

By Katie Serena • Mar 27, 2022

Who Was Sarah Winchester? The Story Of The Troubled Woman Behind The Winchester Mystery House

After her husband died, firearms heiress Sarah Winchester built a "mystery house" — allegedly to escape the ghosts of people killed by Winchester rifles.

By Katie Serena • March 27, 2022

Why Thomas Crapper’s Name Is Synonymous With The Toilet Even Though He Didn’t Actually Invent It

A number of myths surround Victorian-era sanitary engineer Thomas Crapper, namely that he invented the flush toilet and that the word "crap" comes from his name.

By Marco Margaritoff • Mar 26, 2022

Why Thomas Crapper’s Name Is Synonymous With The Toilet Even Though He Didn’t Actually Invent It

A number of myths surround Victorian-era sanitary engineer Thomas Crapper, namely that he invented the flush toilet and that the word "crap" comes from his name.

By Marco Margaritoff • March 26, 2022

Meet Shoji Morimoto, The Japanese ‘Do-Nothing Guy’ Who People Can Rent Out Just For Company

Shoji Morimoto provides a curious service to the lonely and socially anxious — and has been in especially high demand since the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Marco Margaritoff • Mar 23, 2022

News

Meet Shoji Morimoto, The Japanese ‘Do-Nothing Guy’ Who People Can Rent Out Just For Company

Shoji Morimoto provides a curious service to the lonely and socially anxious — and has been in especially high demand since the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Marco Margaritoff • March 23, 2022

Was Abraham Lincoln Black? Inside The Curious Question Of The Great Emancipator’s Race

Rumors spread that Abraham Lincoln was Black even before he was elected president and have persisted for over 150 years — but is there any truth to them?

By Kaleena Fraga • Mar 22, 2022

Was Abraham Lincoln Black? Inside The Curious Question Of The Great Emancipator’s Race

Rumors spread that Abraham Lincoln was Black even before he was elected president and have persisted for over 150 years — but is there any truth to them?

By Kaleena Fraga • March 22, 2022

Meet Elizabeth Bathory, The ‘Blood Countess’ Who May Have Been History’s Most Prolific Female Serial Killer

From 1590 to 1610, Elizabeth Bathory allegedly tortured and killed hundreds of poor servant girls and women in Hungary. But was she actually guilty of these heinous crimes?

By Elisabeth Sherman • Mar 22, 2022

Meet Elizabeth Bathory, The ‘Blood Countess’ Who May Have Been History’s Most Prolific Female Serial Killer

From 1590 to 1610, Elizabeth Bathory allegedly tortured and killed hundreds of poor servant girls and women in Hungary. But was she actually guilty of these heinous crimes?

By Elisabeth Sherman • March 22, 2022

The Chilling Story Of Simon Monjack, The ‘Disturbed’ Husband Of Brittany Murphy

Brittany Murphy was married to Simon Monjack for just two years before she met an untimely death in December 2009. Eerily, he would also die five months later.

By Bernadette Giacomazzo • Mar 21, 2022

The Chilling Story Of Simon Monjack, The ‘Disturbed’ Husband Of Brittany Murphy

Brittany Murphy was married to Simon Monjack for just two years before she met an untimely death in December 2009. Eerily, he would also die five months later.

By Bernadette Giacomazzo • March 21, 2022